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Nice! I think that is definitely the route I will go. A lot of the instructions have the beer fermenting for 4 weeks before bottling. That seems like a long time compared to the Brewer's Best kits I have done...

Yeah, I've noticed their newest releases tend to be pricey, but some are priced really well from their website actually. Thanks, I will go with them next brew!

As a new brewer, this thread makes me happy. I just bottled my first batch - Brewer's Best American Cream Ale Kit. I had a lot of fun doing it. Now I am reading books and reading this forum daily. But, I am not sure when I will want to switch to all grain, if ever. I still have a week to wait...

Well then maybe my ABV isn't low at all. I guess I will have no idea since I have used a refractometer. I can probably check the FG with a hydrometer now and hope the carbonation doesn't mess with it too badly.

Thanks! I actually had someone on this board recommend the refractometer. I loved it for how little beer that I needed for the measurement. Hopefully it is somewhat accurate. If I'm thinking about this correctly, it really shouldn't matter what I use or if the refractometer is a little off, as...

I know there are a lot of variables, but what effect if any does bottle conditioning have on the beer's ABV? To make a long story short, the ABV of my cream ale came out slightly lower than expected. I believe I know the reasons why, so I don't need to delve into that. But, will the specific...

On a similar topic: I have a American Cream Ale in the carboy in my basement. It bubbled like crazy just like it was supposed to for the first 3 days, slowed on the 4th and then stopped at day 5-6. Its been 12 days now and for some reason I looked at my thermometer while I was down there and...

This may be a stupid question, but can I just bottle straight from the spigot?

Thanks for the help everyone! This is a fun stage of waiting, because when I am constantly drinking beer, I can at least tell my wife that it is because I need the bottles :)

Bottling day is coming for me. I have bottles set aside that I have rinsed out immediately after drinking from them. Any tips on prepping the bottles before filling? I was thinking about cleaning them and then sanitizing in the dishwasher the morning of bottling but may also just use Star San.

This has been an awesome thread for a new brewer like myself. My favorite part has been that 3/4 of these start with, "Well, I was drinking a lot while brewing and...." :ban: After doing my first batch this weekend, I recorded everything in my logbook, including what beers I drank while brewing...

Thanks! I've been on this forum for about 27 hours now and I'm addicted haha. You guys have been very helpful. I have spent a lot of time reading the thread about mistakes that people have made that still made good beer. It's really calmed my nerves while my beer ferments. Thanks everyone for...

I have my first batch in the primary (mine is 5 gal). Would you recommend skipping the secondary as well? I'm brewing a cream ale kit from Brewer's Best. They recommend the secondary for a clearer beer. But if it isn't worth the trouble, I would love to skip it :D

This is the exact response I wanted LOL. I bought a refractometer regardless so, I will play around with it once fermentation is done. I did find an article online with a formula that will get the ABV with a FG from a refractometer and a FG from a hydrometer. Not sure how accurate it is but I...

One other quick question... would it be good to stick with these kits for a few more batches? It was really easy and convenient. Or should I venture out and try a recipe from another source?

I think my temp is good. It is in the my basement which is at the cool end of the temp scale that the yeast recommended. Also dark. I did see some posts about the blow off tube so that may be my next route.

Done. Just ordered one. Thanks!

I am new to this myself. I have a Brewer's Best American Cream Ale kit in the carboy fermenting as we speak. I have two issues that came from this first batch that I am looking for help with. Maybe these are good topics for the OP as well so you don't repeat my mistakes ;) First, I think that I...